The United States boxing team at London 2012 had the worst showing in history for the USA at the Olympics. Previously, no team from the United States which competed at the Olympics failed to bring home at least one medal.
Fielding a team of nine men’s boxers, out of a possible 10, the United States entered the London Olympics with a deep squad and a resounding sense of optimism.
It was finally Rau’shee Warren’s time, as the three-time Olympian would surely break through to the medal rounds. Fighters brimming with potential from Bantamweight up to Heavyweight lined the roster.
Not only did nobody on the men’s United States Olympic boxing team win a medal, but nobody on the team even made it as far as the quarterfinals. It was a historically bad, crushing performance for the squad as a whole.
Team USA began the tournament with four straight wins. Then the defeats started to roll in, and by the end of the first week it was eight consecutive defeats, and an overall 5-9 mark for the team with every fighter being eliminated along the way.
There were a few fights which could have gone differently depending on the judges. It looked as if Heavyweight Michael Hunter could have won his first match, that Terrell Gausha could have defeated Vijender Singh in their second round bout, and that Errol Spence could have won his second match against Krishan Vikas. However, none of them did.
It has been no secret that the amateur boxing program in the United States has crumbled to pieces over the past two or three decades. But if you still needed a wakeup call as to where our program stands today, here’s the definitive evaluation. The British, Russian, Cuban, Indian and Ukrainian teams are just a few of the countries which have apparently lapped ours, leaving the USA In the dust.
Nobody was expecting the 1976 team to walk through the doors, but nobody expected this either. Even as the 2008 Beijing team was derided, fans could hang their hat on the sole bronze medal brought home by Deontay Wilder. This time around, there’s nothing.
The professional prospects for many of the fighters on the team still look strong despite this historically bad Olympics outing, and some of their debuts will be aired on network television in the fall.
The real bright side here though is that at least the women are still standing for Team USA boxing. The women’s competition begins on Sunday, August 4, and all three ladies for the United States are medal contenders.
This article was first published by Jake Emen on Yahoo Sports, August 3, 2012